Violin family music instrument mutes are used to change the timbre and loudness of these instruments. These mutes consist of a wooden, rubber, leather, plastic, metal, or multi-material device that regardless of differences in the materials used or their form, function as a clamp on the top of the instrument's bridge, thereby muting the instrument. A mute is a required accessory for the performance of many solo and orchestral pieces of music.
The mute poses several problems for the performer when the mute is not in use or when it is being transferred from its rest position to its working position on the bridge. The problems center on having the mute convenient for immediate use. Six solutions to these problems are currently in use:
1. As its rest position, the mute is put somewhere close at hand, i.e., on the music stand, in a pocket, on a chair;
2. At its rest position, the mute is clamped onto one or two strings between the bridge and the tail piece and must be removed from the string(s) to be used;
3. At its rest position, the mute is found as an extension of a pivoting device clamped permanently between the two middle strings between the bridge and the tail piece;
4. At its rest position, the mute is permanently clamped onto the two middle strings between the bridge and the tail piece, but is flexible enough to be slid onto and off of the bridge from its rest position;
5. At its rest position, the mute sits loose between the bridge and the tail piece on one or two of the two middle strings that pass through and are completely enclosed in holes passing through the mute's body;
6. At its rest position, the mute is attached and permanently connected to the tail piece by an elastic device.
Each of these six solutions has its drawbacks:
1. Sitting loose away from the instrument, the mute can fall onto the floor or require more time than allowed for in the music in looking and reaching for it and in returning it to its rest position;
2. These types of mutes require precise visual manipulation when being transferred back and forth between the rest position and the working position, taking much time and concentration away from the music;
3. The pivot clamped permanently between the strings causes a continual slight muting of the instrument and the large pivot arc makes it awkward to transfer the mute from its rest position to the working position and back to rest, where the mute sometimes rattles against the tail piece when the instrument is being played;
4. Sliding the steel wire clamps of this type of mute abraid the strings and string wrappings and give a disturbing click sound when clamped onto the strings, it causes a slight muting even when in rest position;
5. The instrument's vibrations cause this type of mute to frequently rattle noisely in rest position during performances and even migrate unwanted upto and against the bridge;
6. The elastic and mute can cause a disturbing noise if the mute slips from the performer's fingers and requires precise visual attention when being transferred between rest and working positions.